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CHILD EATING DISORDERS - BULIMIA
Interview with Sandra (22), who suffered from Bulimia as a teenager
Monicka: “How old were you when you started binging and purging?”
Sandra: “I started Thanksgiving Day, I was 17.”
Monicka: “How did it all start?”
Sandra: “I couldn’t control anything in my life and I didn’t seem to have any control of what I put in my body but I did have control what came out of my mouth.”
Monicka: “How did you feel the first time you purged?”
Sandra: “I was happy because I finally felt like I could control some aspect of my life. That happiness lasted the first few months until I realized it was starting to control me. I started losing my hair and I wasn’t losing any weight, I was probably suffering from malnutrition.”
Monicka: “How long did this go on for?”
Sandra: “I stopped doing it two years later when I went to live with my Mother and started eating with the family. I went to Church and got really upset and I prayed and started to feel like maybe I could stop doing it. I relapsed a few times but I tried not to let anyone know about it and finally I had enough and knew that I had to stop and I turned to a higher power.”
Monicka: “Is there anything else that helped you to gain control of your bulimia?”
Sandra: “The way that helped me to recover from the bulimia was I started paying attention to how the food in my body made me feel. Heavy fatty foods made me want to purge so I just avoided them. I started eating foods that gave me energy and made me feel good and not tired."
“To this day I will not eat certain foods because it reminds me of how tired and weak I feel. Listen to how your body reacts from food and learn your lesson. Another thing that really helped me was regular exercise. It made me feel strong inside and out and because my appetite from binging was so high it took me almost two years to get to a healthy weight for me and bring my appetite to a more normal level.”
Monicka: “Do any of your friends suffer from bulimia or other eating disorders?”
Sandra: “Out of the ten of my closest friends at least three have tried it for sure, some are mild and some are more extreme. One still suffers from bulimia.”
Monicka: “Do you think there is enough help out there for eating disorders?"
Sandra: “I called a help line and was told there were few resources and the only resources have a long wait period I would have to go through my Dr. and then everyone would know.”
Monicka: “What have you learned from this experience?"
Sandra: “Now that I am older and know more about myself I know better but young girls who look in magazines and admire skinny girls think it is something they should try. There needs to be more support even in small towns for girls who are suffering. Young girls are so susceptible to what the media says they should look like. I would look in the mirror and feel like I looked hideous and I hated myself. Now, I look back and can’t understand why I felt that way.”
Monicka: “What advice would you give young people if you had the chance?”
Sandra: “Young girls need to know that it is not worth it. If they are considering it they need to tell someone. If a friend tells you don’t take it lightly. I feel so bad for all the girls that are going through this. Some girls feel pressured to keep the weight off because they are so worried about their body image and that their boyfriend will dump them. They need to look at that as a toxic relationship and girls need to realize that they deserve better.”
Monicka: “What can parents do to help their child if they suspect there is a problem?”
Sandra: “A parent needs to look for the signs of an eating disorder such as leaving the table right after eating a meal or spending a lot of time alone and sleeping a lot. Any change in normal appetite or energy level may be a red flag. Watch how your children eat. Sometimes people that suffer from bulimia seem hypnotized when they eat it is like they have no control and hardly chew the food just swallow it like they are on a mission to devour as much as they can.
“Parents need to know what is going on in their kid’s lives. If you suspect anything it is important to talk to a professional about the best way to deal with it. I wouldn’t have told my Mother anything and if she would have confronted me I just would have been embarrassed and would have denied it. Once I was fed up with it I decided to get honest with everyone and look for help. Until you are at that point no one can help you. But trying to offer non-judgmental support is so important. Be there for your child no matter what.”
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